Vaughn CHL Goalie of the Week: Blades’ Makarov

Andrey Makarov, who is representing Russia in the Subway Series in this photo, was named the Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week after three dominating wins for the Saskatoon Blades. (Photo by Clint Trahan)

Andrey Makarov of the Saskatoon Blades has been named the Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week after winning all three games last week, including one shutout, a 0.67 goals-against-average of and .982 save percentage.

The 19-year-old Russian goaltender stopped 107 shots for the the 2013 MasterCard Memorial Cup-host Blades, starting with consecutive First Star honours in a 38-save, 5-1 win over Brandon on Wednesday and a WHL-high, 42-save, 6-0 blanking of Calgary on Friday. Makarov finished his week with a 27-save, Third Star performance in a 4-1 win over Swift Current on Saturday.

Makarov, who won silver for Russia at the World Junior Championships in January, is playing in his second WHL season with the Blades. A free agent signing of the Buffalo Sabres in September after he wasn’t picked in the 2012 NHL Draft, he has a 22-16-0-3 record, a goals-against-average of 2.61 and save percentage of .918 for the Blades this season.

Also considered for the award for the week that ended February 4 was Zachary Fucale of the Halifax Mooseheads, who won two games with one shutout, a 0.50 goals-against-average and a .984 save percentage, and Matej Machovsky of the Brampton Battalion who was 2-0-0-1 with a shutout, a goals-against-average of 1.30, and a save percentage of .953.
2012-13 Vaughn CHL Goaltenders of the Week: